A Rapa Nui Fantasy

Myths & Legends

A Rapa Nui Fantasy

Myths & Legends

A Rapa Nui Fantasy

Myths & Legends

MOAI – A Musical Journey to Easter Island

The MOAI Project is telling the tale of the culture of the Rapa Nui on Easter Island. The songtexts are about the myths, stories and traditions of the indigenous people. The Vogelmann cult, the giant stone figures (Moais), the ghosts, the beauty of the island – this is what MOAI is all about. Musically, however, I interpreted the theme in my very own way. Early on, I was influenced by Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons and many more. With them, I always found a red thread that weaved through the entire album.

I had the idea for MOAI back in 2013. I was thinking about my old dusty homepage and asked myself why I had used the image with the strange stone figure in the first place. Sure, I have Chilean roots and these figures are a part of Chilean culture but I could not really give it any more meaning at that point in time.

In the night, I dreamed about Easter Island and when I woke up in the morning, everything was crystal clear – I had to go there. I started to get into the culture of the Rapa Nui and in April 2013, I went on my journey to Easter Island. The whole stay there, the whole culture, the legends and the stories; it all was very inspiring to me. I will never forget the moment on the day of my arrival when I was standing in front of the Ahu Vai Uri and could not move. It was as if an invisible force was keeping me there – the force they call “Mana”. I was really impressed.

Acknowledgements:
My special thanks particularly goes to the participating musicians: Benny Mokross, Klaus Samusch, Günther Holtmann, Dirk Edelhoff, Sophia Steding, Isamel Alcalde, Beate Lucas, Martin Buschmann but also to my friend Pit Nawotka in whose Fördertum Studio everything came together and under whose label this album is released. Last but not least, I am thanking Bernd Hauch (video) and Elke Nowotka who served us a delicious meal from time to time.